The New York Times
November 18, 1998
Whimsical Songs And Gawking Pedestrians
by Stephen Holden
At least as intriguing as the songs the English Folk-rocker Robyn Hitchcock performs in Jonathan Demme's intimate concert film Storefront Hitchcock are the surreal vignettes the singer spins out between numbers. A typical flight of fancy is his meditation on the gradual disappearance of The Isle Of Wight as its shoreline is steadily eroded.
Its science-fiction fantasy is peopled with ghosts of the dead dating back to Cro-Magnon times who hover over water covering what used to be land. The darkly futuristic dream ends in a vision of a world ruled by computers in which human life as we know it is extinct.
Mr. Hitchcock's twisted commentaries have corollaries in his extensive catalogue of seriously whimsical songs, which have made him a popular cult figure since the late-1970's when he recorded with his first group, The Soft Boys. In the 80's, Mr. Hitchcock formed another band, The Egyptians. In 1996 he released an acclaimed solo album, Moss Elixir.
If those songs are lyrically too esoteric to have broad mass appeal, most of Mr. Hitchcock's albums have sold at least a hundred thousand copies. Think of The Beatles' playful surrealism fused with the spaced-out fantasies of Mr. Hitchcock's idol, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, spruced up with the historical imagination of Al Stewart at his most fanciful, and you have some idea of the flavor of Mr. Hitchcock's arty Folk Rock ruminations.
Accompanying himself on guitar and joined in the film for several numbers by two frequent collaborators, Deni Bonet (on violin) and Tim Keegan (on guitar and backup vocals), Mr. Hitchcock sings in a sour British twang that suggests a cross between John Lennon and David Bowie at their most sardonic.
Storefront Hitchcock, which opens today at the Film Forum, was filmed in a 14th Street storefront in Manhattan over two days before an unseen live audience. For much of the film, Mr. Hitchcock performs standing with his back to a window, through which a steady stream of traffic can be glimpsed. Occasionally pedestrians stop in front of the window and gawk.
The film plays subtle tricks with time that reflect the playfulness of Mr. Hitchcock's lyrics. At one point, the clear glass of the window is replaced with colored panes. From song to song, the props surrounding the singer keep changing. There are candles in one number, a mirror ball in another and an odd sculpture of a tomato in another.
Storefront Hitchcock is unlikely to spur a commercial resurgence for the 45-year-old singer, whom Mr. Demme obviously appreciates with the same enthusiasm he brought to the Talking Heads in his other Rock concert film, Stop Making Sense. But it still captures the sensibility of this smart, quirky Folk-rocker in the most appealing possible light.
Storefront Hitchcock
Directed by Jonathan Demme; director of photography, Anthony Jannelli; edited by Andy Keir; music by Robyn Hitchcock; produced by Peter Saraf; released by Orion Pictures/MGM. At the Film Forum, 209 Houston Street, South Village. Running time: 81 minutes. This film is rated PG-13.
With: Robyn Hitchcock, Deni Bonet and Tim Keegan.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE